gone missing

This picture is for my mother, who will totally understand its application to the first part of this post. For the rest of my readers, I think you'll be able to determine an appropriate application as well.

With a couple of exceptions I can't account for the last week of my life. In an effort to appease my other half I deferred my morning computer time so that we could have breakfast together. Everything went to you -know-what as a result. A shift in routine wrecked havoc upon my days, and this morning I am able to grasp at my sanity only because that other half is out of the house at an appointment this morning. I'm not blaming him. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the desire to have breakfast together, and that time at the table has been good. It's simply thrown me into chaos in all sorts of ways.

My routine is what it is for a reason, and has evolved to its present (until last week) flow because it is what works for me. The challenge now is to find a way to accomplish two ends: reclaim my sanity and my productivity, and show up for breakfast. If I go missing again for a while you'll know that I have not succeeded in the former effort.

Moving on.... I have to say something about politics. I usually leave this subject off the blog for obvious reasons, but there are days when I just can't keep quiet.

1) Leave Michelle Obama alone. So she and one of her daughters went to Spain. Oh! the expense! Well guess what? It would have cost the same for the taxpayers if she'd stayed on the continent. The secret service and other personnel would be along for the ride no matter where she went, and yes--GASP!--that just happens to cost money. A luxury resort? Where do you think they're going to go, the local Holiday Inn? This is the First Family. Get over it.

2) Mosques. Y'all who are fussing--do your homework. Thoroughly. Here in Tennessee, in New York, wherever a mosque wants to go. This is America, remember? Land of the FREE?? Free to worship, for instance? I understand the sting about proximity to Ground Zero, but I also understand that the greater good is served by the Cordoba Center being in that location. I could point you to a whole bunch of what has been written on the subject that makes so much sense about all this, and says it way better than I could. When times are anxious and uncertain, as they are now, history has shown that human behavior goes all primal, and fear takes control. Here's a newsflash. When life feels out of control, control what you can. That includes getting informed. Don't buy into the first bit of dribble that you hear and believe it to be truth. Get the facts. Learn from history. Better yet, get to know a Muslim. You know, the ones who have been as part of your community as long as you have been. That whole knowledge is power thing? It's true. Get empowered to be a positive, constructive force in this great land of ours.

3) Prop 8 no more. Thank. God. Judge Walker finally articulated something that has been on my mind for a long time about this whole thing: the separation between law and morality. Biblical law and civil law may have parallel applications, but the tenets of a particular religious body are applicable only to believers. By choice. By conviction. They have no business being imposed upon a legal system, especially in a pluralistic society such as ours. Walker's opinion is so clear about all of this. And the idea that his sexuality, whatever it may be, prejudices him? Um, by that argument no one is bias-free. Next?

The antics of all manner of people who claim to have THE angle on truth really worry me. Some of them are running for office, and some of them won primaries. It looks like we are in for some really messy, ugly times ahead. It's at times like this that I wonder what God is doing. Paying attention? It doesn't appear so. Intervening? Show me the evidence. More and more I am convinced that the Almighty's part in all this is to be a resource rather than an actor. God, what in the world were you thinking? I guess if we self-destruct it's what we deserve. Ouch.